Connor Zilisch expected 'cleaner' racing from teammate Shane Van Gisbergen, vows to learn from Chicago loss

A fiery battle between Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen at Chicago gave us a taste of what is likely to come in 2026. These two drivers are only going to race each other more and more in NASCAR as time moves on. Tonight, it was SVG who finished on top.

For the second year in a row, SVG has won the Xfinity Series race on the streets of Chicago. This time, he did it in a two-lap dash to the finish against Connor Zilisch. The two will likely be Cup Series teammates full-time in 2026.

Following the finish, Zilisch was asked about the contact made between the two going into Turn 1 on the restart. SVG used him up a bit, and Zilisch hit the wall on exit. The 88 car never got back to the 9 to make a retaliatory move or bump-and-run.

“I guess I should have just not let him get to my bottom. I was clear there just barely on the front straight and yeah, just let him get to my inside and took advantage of it,” Zilisch said on The CW broadcast. “So, yeah, I hate it for my 88 group. I should have just been a little more aggressive there.

“I just thought he was going to race me a little cleaner. So, yeah, I’ll learn from it. Move on. Really cool to have Red Bull WeatherTech schemes, one-two. … So, yeah, looking forward to getting back after it.”

It was a great battle at the end. Just good old-fashioned NASCAR racing. Nothing was egregious about the contact, but Connor Zilisch didn’t expect it to come from SVG. To be fair, van Gisbergen came by to give Zilisch a fist bump during the interview.

“I mean, it’s racing for the win, I’m not gonna complain about it. You know, he won the race and I didn’t,” Zilisch answered. “So, I just got to be better and you know, not let that stuff happen. So, yeah, I’ll learn from it, move on, and look forward to racing him next week at Sonoma.”

While there was contact late, the two teammates will likely move on from this quickly. What this shows is that Shane van Gisbergen has learned a lot since his first few races in the Cup Series. There is no way he makes that move in 2023 or in early 2024.

So, was Connor Zilisch done dirty? I don’t think he was. That is NASCAR racing and something that he will have to learn to defend against, and dish out, himself.

Consider this, SVG is twice Zilisch’s age. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think van Gisbergen is the best road course racer in the Cup Series. So, what does that say about the 18-year-old and his abilities?